MAJOR UPDATE ON SEASON FOUR OF RICHMOND’S TED LASSO
See latest trailer here:
https://x.com/tedlassonews/status/2076036541210583528?s=43
Ted Lasso newcomer Abbie Hern has spoken of her joy at ‘getting to play football’ in the upcoming Season Four of the award-winning series.
The Welsh actress from Pontypridd lined up alongside other stars of the show at a major launch event in Kansas City before the show streams on Apple TV+ on August 5.
Abbie, whose character is called Gemma, revealed she had a Manchester United room when she was 7 years old and a teddy bear called Nani after her favourite Utd player.
“I’ve been a football girl my entire life. Football has always been a huge part of my life,” she said at the event last night.
“My dad is so ecstatic, he is so supportive and watches all my shows and now he gets to watch a football show, he’s really happy,” said the 29 year old actress who has also appeared in The Pact and My Lady Jane.
“Playing was a different kettle of fish but super exciting and the choreography and the football team, they are incredible and they make us look so good. And I got to play football for my job! I’m still in a pinch-me moment and it’s great.”
Abbie is just one of several young British actors who form the new Second Division AFC Richmond Women’s team coached by Ted Lasso and much of the filming was done at Hayes & Yeading football club, West London studios and around Richmond.
British actress Juno Temple who returns as PR supremo Keeley Jones talked about the ‘endless joy’ women’s football is creating around the world.
She said: “I think it might be cool that people who are already fans of Ted Lasso and might not necessarily be fans of women’s football might have their eyes open to it and tune into it and so we might have just a handful of people who suddenly ‘oh I’m gonna watch a women’s game’ and I hope that’s something that this season will tap into and open their eyes to a whole, new endless joy of women’s football.”
Another British actor returning for Season Four is Jeremy Swift who plays Leslie Higgins, Director of Football Operations for AFC Richmond.
He told the Kansas audience he hopes the new series will address the urgent need of support for women’s football ‘financially and integrity because there’s a lot of lip service given to it because it’s new and exciting but it needs backing.’
Season Four has required a significant number of stand-in women footballers for the action scenes including two from Wycombe Wanderers, goalkeeper Robyn Cullen and club captain Bobby Lynch.
https://x.com/tedlassonews/status/2075495537235636693?s=48
The launch event was perfectly timed just before the England match against Norway which England won 2-1 and then the cast attended the Argentina v Switzerland game which ended 3-1.
The Ted Lasso night event was held at the CPKC Stadium in Kansas City with show creators Jason Sudeikis who plays Ted and his sidekick Coach Beard played by Brendan Hunt.
Women’s football in the UK has soared in popularity over the last 15 years with back to back wins for The Lionesses in the Euros and sell-out matches at Wembley as well as clubs like Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd attracting big crowds and sponsorship partners.
The United States is the most historically successful nation in women’s football where it’s still known as soccer.
The U.S. Women’s National Team has won four Women’s World Cup titles and five Olympic gold medals, including a gold at the 2024 games in Paris.